Just wanted to give a shout out to ElizabetAnneDesigns.com for including us in their vendor line-up for stationers. Super ecstatic barely skims the surface when it comes to the excitement around here and the website has already gone gang-busters from the referrals. To fill you in, ElizabethAnneDesigns is a website that blogs on the wedding industry and is a great place to glean information on your impending stresses of planning a wedding. Seeing that one of these girls is in the process of doing her own wedding, they both have dove in to try to get a piece of the wedding blogger pie. EAD recently launched what they call the EAD Library which consists of top vendors organized by category with the option for client referrals and recommendations from previous brides. It’s a genius idea, I only wish I had thought of it. Great work girls, and keep up the good work!

Laurie Cinotto of lalalaurie made the great cakebox featured in this photo, blogged by EAD. Invitaitons done by yours truely, Dingbat Press.

I live in a western town. The last thing I imagined my self EVER wanting was a large belt buckle – or really any belt buckle for that matter. And then I saw this Multi-Font Belt Buckle by Foundry Wear on my favorite online marketplace Etsy. I say, bring on the heavy metal belt buckle, with the metal type, and beautiful machinery. I’m a converted cowgirl, Giddyup!

It’s that time of year where I start thinking of the snow again, even though it just stopped snowing about 5 weeks ago around here. Never the less it’s that buying time for the winter season – so – here is a preview of some lovely soot that’s been stuffed up the chimney for the last few weeks. Expect holiday product updates on the website late next week (retailers) and for consumers, on Etsy near the end of August. 

Welcome to the year-long project of redesigning the website. I usually overextend (and overwhelm) myself with projects that I think I can do in ridiculously short amounts of time. The website being one of them. In it’s first launch I tried to learn Flash (lifelong learner here). That generation of learning and website never got finished, never made it on Google (thank Flash programming), and was just really pathetic in the end.

Come last fall, I decided to redesign in Dreamweaver – which I’ve never touched before. And yes, I decided not to hire a programmer again, instead opting for the continued education. I know there are a plethora of designers out there that are shuddering at the thought, and even more programmers that are thinking, “This person is of the Devil. Those designers think they know it all!” I confess to you now, I don’t really know anything except that I like to try new things. My credits go to the solicitation of friends advice and colleagues suggestions & critiques. Not to be forgotten, a lot of Lynda tutorials, emailmeform.com and a working brain. I have come to wrap things up and it not only feels like giving birth to my third child but that if forced, my brain might be able to learn Tagalic, Romanian, or maybe even Japanese at some given point (after using Dreamweaver). HTML and I are not best friends yet but there is no longer a severe need for a translator.

With that said, although not all the stationery lines are active (namely Holiday, and Dovetail), they will be soon. So keep checking back. However, the GALLERY is getting added to at a fast pace. Now you can see the work of Dingbat Press in almost Hi-Definition.

Every once in awhile I have the opportunity to design and print a graduation announcement. It’s always so enlivening to break from the traditional stiffened “Jostens foiled with school crest and ugly typeface.” I can hardly contain myself! Liza wanted to incorporate her school colors: orange and brown, and below is what ensued. Right before printing I received samples of blush colored paper. Although it was a little pinkish, I asked for some artistic liberty to try out. What do you think? She was excited, to say the least.

This is also the first of many photos taken from a loaner Canon Digital Rebel Xsi with a 50mm fixed lens. The reason behind the loaner is that I want to make sure the money is well spent before taking the plunge on equipment I’m not familiar with. I’m thinking I might go a little more macro with the lens on the next try to see if I can’t get really close up on the great letterpress impression. For now you can look at my attempt at prettiness.

I’ve been working on a set of new stationery designs in between printing jobs through out June, and am just barely getting sketches scanned in. I like to use Illustration Friday as a starting point for sketching when my mind is drawing a blank and these came out of the topic “punchline.” I just kept thinking mosquitos because they’ll be out in force for the holiday tomorrow, and out of it came a lot of other bugs instead. Enjoy the sneak peak!